Telephone-toll slot-machine.



No. 728,964. PATENTED MAY 26, 1903. W. S. PAGA.

TELEPHONE TOLL SLOT MACHINE.

' APPLICATION FILED AUG. 26, 1902.

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PATENTE-D MAY 26, 1903. W. S. PAGA. TELEPHONE TOLL SLOT MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 26. 1902.

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PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM S. PACA, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

TELEPHONE-TOLL SLOT-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 728,964, dated May 26,1903.

Application filed August 26, 1902. Serial No. 121,02d- (No model.)

.To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that LWILLIAM S. PAOA, a citizen of the United States,residing at Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Telephone-TollSlot-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in telephone-toll slot-machines,and has for its object the production of a slot mechanism which willaccurately signal the insertion therein of coins of difierent values andat the same time fail to operate and signal when mutilated coins orblank disks of metal either smaller, thicker, or thinner than currentcoins are inserted therein.

Another object attained is the prevention of the clogging and disablingof the mechanism by the insertion of mutilated coins or metal diskstherein of imperfect size or thickness.

I accomplish these results by means of the construction and arrangementof mechanism hereinafter set forth and described, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top or plan view of atelephonetoll slot-machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a cornerview of the same in elevation with portions of the sides and the lowerend thereof broken away. Fig. 3 is a View in perspective of the plates,hereinafter designated as 1 2 3, comprising the slot mechanism of mymachine separated from each other. Fig. 4. is a view of the undersurface of plate 1. Fig. 5 is a plan View of plate 2. Fig. 6 is a planview of plate 3. Fig. 7 is a View of the under surface of my machinewith portions of the box broken away. Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic sectionof the mechanism on the line at a: in Fig. 1. Fig. 9 is an enlargeddetail view of the ratchet mechanism of the machine. Fig. 10 is a sideview of the same with the mechanism in the position shown in Fig. 9 andwith the plates 1, 2, and 3 in section on the line 3 y looking in thedirection of the arrow 20. Fig. 11 is a side view of the same with themechanism in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 9 and with theplates in section, asin Fig. 10, looking in the direction of the arrow.2.

In the drawings illustrating my invention, A is a box inclosing themechanism of my invention. Upon the top of this box A, I secure an innerplate 3 and an outer or top plate 1, and between these plates I mount aplate 2 upon a shaft B, journaled in the plates 1 and 3 and providedwith a crank B on its upper end, as illustrated in Figs. 2, 3, 10, and11.

Upon the lower end of the shaft B, I secure a retracting-spring 0, oneend of which is secured to a stud c in the plate 3. Upon the shaft Bbelow the spring 0, there is secured a ratchet-wheel D, provided with aspringactuated ratchet D, secured to a stud d in the plate 3.spring-actuated deflecting-strip d,over which the point of the dog Dtravels during the reverse movement of the shaft B and ratchetwheel D.The object of this mechanism is to prevent the backward movement of theshaft B before it has completed its full forward traverse, whichtraverse is limited by means of the upright studs 19 b in the plate 1.

In the top of plate; 1 there are coin-receiving holes made of the propersize to receive coins of each denomination-to be used in the machine. Inthe drawings I have shown holes E E E designed to receive quarters,nickels, and dimes. However, any number of holes can be utilzed asdesired. In the under surface of plate 1 from the hole E there 7 is acurved depression F to allow the collar around the opening H in therotating plate 2 to travel, this opening H in the collar and plate 2being the exact depth of the thickness of a quarter,and in the undersurface of the plate 1 from the hole E there is also a curved depressionF of just sufficient depth to allow the collar around the opening H inthe rotating plate 2 to travel, this opening H in the collar and plate 2being of the exact depth of the thickness of a nickel, while from thehole E there is no depression in the under surface of plate 1, as thethickness of the plate 2 at the opening H therein is exactly thethickness of a dime. In the plate 3 Upon the ratchet-wheel D there is aI make openings I, I, and I, adapted to register with the openings H, H,and H in the plate 2 at the termination of its forward traverse, theseopenings being just sufficient to permit a quarter, a nickel, and adime, respectively, to drop out. In front of each of these openings inthe line. of travel of the openings H, H,'and H in the plate 3 I makeoval openings J J J so that coins smaller in diameter than the standardsizes designated to be deposited in the openings E, E, and E will whencarried around by the rotation of the plate 2 fall through the openingsJ, J, and J before reaching the proper discharge-openings I, I, and Iwithout operating the signal-bell mechanism, hereinafter described. Tofacilitate the discharge; of the coins from the openings I, I, and I inthe plate 3, I provide upturned springsLL L 1 which extend upwardthrough the slots 1' t" in the edges of the openings I I I into radialslots 72. h h in the rotating plate 2 and operate to force the coinsdownward as they come 1 into contact therewith over the openings I I Ithis feature being clearly illustrated in Fig. 8. To the under surfaceof plate 3 I secure standards K K K to which bells k 70 are secured,each of'diiferent tone, so that the ring of each 1 bell gives adiiferent signal, as illustrated in Figs. 2, 7, and 8, and on the plate3 between I the openings I J, I J, and I J therein I secure ears m, inwhich spring-actuated bell-' hammers M M M are pivoted, the heels ofwhich bell-hammers extend through openings Z 1 Pin the plate 3 into theradial grooves h h 71. in the plate 2, as shown in Fig. 8, so; that whena coin is moved around to either? of the discharge-openings I I I itcontacts. with the heel of one of the bell-hammers M, M M ,and-durin gits passage to the discharge-. opening operates the bell-hammer, so asto cause it to strike the bell and sound the ap-' propriate signal.

In operation when the proper-sized coin is inserted into one of theopenings in the plate 1 and the crank B moved in the direction of thearrow until it contacts with the stop b:

the plate 2 is thereby rotated until the coin passes out of theproperdischarge-opening in the plate 3. it is automatically moved backto the stop b 'by means of the spring 0, the dog D meanwhile passingover the deflecting-strip d during the backward movement of the crank B.If, however, the crank B is moved forward a quarter or more of itstraverse, the dog D operates to prevent its being returned to its normalposition before its traverse has been completed.

In case a coin which has been mutilated until it is out of shape isdeposited in one of the openings in the plate 1 it will not enter theopening, and in case a disk of metal of the proper diameter but thickerthan the proper coin is deposited therein the crank B cannotbe movedforward, and it must be removed before the mechanism will operate.

The crank B being then released If the disk deposited is of smallerdiameter than the coin, during its traverse it will drop through theoval discharge-opening in the plate 2 without contacting with thebell-hammer. If, however, a disk is inserted of the proper diameter butthinner than the normal thickness of the proper-sized coin, it will passover the oval opening and under the heel of the bell-hammer and'out atthe proper discharge-opening in the plate 3 without operating thebell-hammer and ringing a signal.

I have thus shown and described a convenient mechanism for utilizing myinvention. I am aware, however, that modifications can be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

Therefore what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States, is-

, 1. In a telephone-toll slot mechanism, a stationary top plate havingdiiferent-sized chcular openings therein, and recesses in its undersurface communicating with some of said openings, a movable plateimmediately below the top plate, having circular openings thereincorresponding in their diameters with the diameters of the openings inthe top plate,

annular projections of difierent heights on the top of the movable platearound some of said openings therein extending upward into the recessesin the lower surface of the top plate, a stationary bottom plate havingdischarge-openings therein corresponding in their diameters with thediameters of the openings in the other plates, and means for moving saidintermediate plate, substantially as set forth.

2. In atelephone-toll slot mechanism,a stationary top plate havingdifferent-sized coinreceiving circular openings therein, and recesses ofdifierent depths in its under surface communicating with some of saidopenings, amovable plate immediately under and in contact with the undersurface of said top plate having openings therein corresponding in theirdiameters with the-diameters of the openings in the top plates, annularcollars of different heights on the movable plate around some of theopenings therein extending up into the recesses in the lower surface ofthe top plate, and slots therein extending from said openings, astationary bottom plate having circular discharge-openings thereincorresponding in their diameters with the openings in the other plates,and also oval auxiliary discharge-openings of less diameter transverselyto the line of travel of the movable plates, than the regulardischarge-openings, spring mechanism at the edges of the regulardischarge-openingsin the lower plate extending up into the slots in themovable plate and means for moving the movable plate, substantially asand for the purpose" ICC TIC

trolling the movement of the intermediate plate, a different-tonedsignal-bell at each normal-sized discharge-opening in the lower plate,and bell-hammer mechanism for each bell adapted to be actuated by thepassage of the proper-sized coin, substantially as and for the purposeset forth. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM S. PAOA.

Witnesses:

F. M. PRATT, GEO. Ross, Jr.

